Feeling of fear

A friend of mine called me a few days ago and said, “You know what Francis? All these financial problems that have hit America have hit me too. My calculations say that I must have lost some P50 to P60 million by now.”

Sadness? Yes. Remorse or regrets? No. Now this is the same man who years ago said, “You know what Francis, my life was a mess and I was about to lose the people I love as my family was breaking apart. But God fixed me and healed our family and this is why money may be important to me but it is certainly not the most important thing in my life these days.”

Will he lose more? Nobody knows but this is one man who certainly knows how to handle his fears.

Business experts and economists keep on saying that there is no rational explanation behind the events that has been plaguing Wall Street. It’s fear and it’s hard to explain what it is until it hits you.

Steve Andreas tells us a little piece of history.

During Napoleon’s invasion of Russia he was accidentally separated from his men. A group of Russian Cossacks spotted him and began chasing him. Napoleon ran for his life and slipped into a little furrier’s shop on a side alley. Gasping for breath, he saw the furrier and cried piteously, “Save me, save me! Where can I hide?” The furrier said, “Quick, under this big pile of furs in the corner,” and he covered Napoleon up with many furs.

No sooner had he finished than the Russian Cossacks burst in the door, shouting “Where is he? We saw him come in.” They tore his shop apart, they poked into the pile of furs with their swords but didn’t find him. Soon, they gave up and left.

Later Napoleon crept out from under the furs, unharmed, just as Napoleon’s personal guards came in the door. The furrier turned to Napoleon and said timidly, “Excuse me for asking this question of such a great man, but what was it like to be under those furs, knowing that the next moment would surely be your last?”

Napoleon drew himself up to his full height and said to the furrier indignantly, “How could you ask such a question of me, the Emperor Napoleon! Guards, take this impudent man out, blindfold him and execute him. I, myself, will personally give the command to fire!”

The guards grabbed the poor furrier, dragged him outside, stood him up against a wall and blindfolded him.  The furrier could see nothing, but he could hear the movements of the guards as they slowly shuffled into a line and prepared their rifles, and he could hear the soft ruffling sound of his clothing in the cold wind. He could feel the wind tugging gently at his clothes and chilling his cheeks, and the uncontrollable trembling in his legs. Then he heard Napoleon clear his throat and call out slowly, “Ready. . . aim. . .” In that moment, he entertained a feeling that he couldn’t describe welled up in him as tears poured down his cheeks.

After a long period of silence, the furrier heard footsteps approaching him and the blindfold was stripped from his eyes. Still partially blinded by the sudden sunlight, he saw Napoleon’s eyes looking deeply and intently into his own - eyes that seemed to see into every dusty corner of his being. Then Napoleon said softly, “Now you know.”

What a dramatic way to explain. Now the furrier understood the feeling because he himself experienced it. And somehow the principle is the same when it comes to understanding people. Whether it’s fear of losing one’s life savings, fear of losing a loved one…we will never know what that feeling is until we go through it ourselves. 

This is why God allows us to go through hurts and pains in life so that we can learn from the experience. But the lessons learned are also to be used as a means of encouraging others too. The Scriptures say that God comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Do what a New Yorker did. When all the talk in town was about the “Credit Crunch,” he came up with chocolates and candies and is now selling a fortune and guess what the brand is? You guessed it right. It’s called “Credit Crunch.”

You know the old cliché, “when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” 

(Francis will speak together with Randell Tiongson and Chinkee Tan in a seminar entitled Pesos & Sense on Oct. 29 at Makati Sports. Call 6342204 for details.)